Voltage-reducer.



W. AI HESSE & JE T. SLAVEN..

VOLTAGE REDUCER. y

APPLICATION FILED JIULY 1l, 1911.'

` Patented Mar. 5, 19112,`

.. WHA/5385s ATTORNEYS -'UNTTED' sTATEs PATENT onirica.

WALTER A. HEISSE, OF ALAMEDA, AND JOHN T. SLAVEN, F OAKLAND, CALIFBNIA.

VOLTAGE-REDUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 191e.

To all whom it may` concern.'

Be it known that We, VVTi/ran A. HnssnA and JOHN T. Snivnn, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, ot Alameda, in the county of Alameda and State of California, and of Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented a` new and Improved Voltage- Reducer, of which the following is a full, clear', and exact description. v

Our invention relates to voltage reducers working upon the principle of reducing the voltage by the introduction of resistance.

More particularly stated, our invention comprehends a Voltage reducer having the form of a. single unitI so constructed as to offer a definite resistance when inserted in a circuit and provided with means for readily connecting it with other units of itsj kind in order to increase or diminlsh the' aggregate resistance offered, and consequently to enable the operator to control the 4 otv this post, .which is threaded for the purvoltage at will within reasonable limits.

Our invention further comprehends the contact member 22 (see Fig. 3) having gen-n particular mechanism comprising an individual unit of thekindabove mentioned.

Our voltage reducer may be employed in any number of different relations. especially adapted for use in connection with incandescent lamp sockets. It may be em.- ployed. for instance, to enable the use of low voltage tungsten lamps in a circuit normail).Y affording high voltage. It is also of I peculiar adaptability for use in connection with fan motors :intl with so-called dental engines. as wel] as in connection with various types of electric motors used in the various arts for innumerable purposes.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specifica- Ation in which like characters of'rcference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in ,whichv Figure 1 is a substantially central section through one o't' the resistance units of which our voltage reducer is made up: Fig.' 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a. detail view showing the body portion ot the casing and its Contact mechanism; Fig. t is a side ,elevation of the spider removed from the casing; Fig. 5 is a detail -view showing one of the contact springs.

A casing 7 is provided, at its lowerfend, with a cover 8 secured in position by aidof It is i screws 9. The casing 7 has generally the form of iYn inverted cup. Mounted upon the upper end of the casing is a stem 10 of orcelain, glass, or other insulating materia this stem being provided with a base 11 integral with it and fitting directly against the adjacent portion of the casing. Encircling the stem 10 is a sleeve 12 of metal lia-ving generally such form that it practically constitutes a thread for the stem l0. The

sleeve 12 is provided with an annular portion 13 integral with it, and Aextending through this annular portion are bolts 14,15. The bolt 15 extends through the spring contact member 16 (see Fig. 5) having generally the form of a leaf spring, bent back upon itself, and provided with ay narrow portion 17 which carries a contacting 18. The stem 1 0 is provided with a central passage 19, and extending through the latter is ametallic bolt 20 provided with a head 21. A -nut23 is revolubly titted upon a portion pose. This bolt extends through a spring 16, is held against a. disk 25Y of insulating material disposed centrally within the casing 7. 'The bolts 14, 15 extend through this disk 25, as Will be understood from Fig..1.

The casing 7 is provided with ventilation holes 26 to facilitate the dissipation of such heat as may begenerated within it in consequence of the heating of the variousparts which it contains. Within the casing 7 and concentric thereto is a cylinder 27 of fiber, asbestos or other suitable insulating material. A spider 28 made, in this instance,I of porcelain, and having the form shown more particularly 'in Figs. '2 and 4, is provided and located within the casing. This spider has a number of wings-29, 30, 31, each having generally the form of a lplate and provided upon its .opposite faces with grooves. The Wings 30, 31 are respectively provided with cylindrical sleeves 32, 33, these `sleeves being practically thickened portions of the wings and having holes extending entirely through them from edge to edge,as Will'- be understood from Fig. 2. Each Wing carries a winding 34;. the various windings being connected together by Wires 35 and beproper parallel t/o ing arranged iii two groups corresponding respectively to the top and bottoni halves .of the spider, as shown in Fig. 2. 35 and the windings 34 are engaged by a metallic bolt head 3G and also by another metallic boilt head 37, these two bolt heads constituting. in effect, a couple of distributing pointsliof opposite sign for the purpose of dividing thel current and supplying it in the two groups of windings. For purpol ot' distributing the current equally through the windings, the bolt heads 3G, 37 may be considered as terminals. These bolt heads are respectively integral with bolts 38, 39. Fitted upon the bolt 89 is a nut 40 whereby it is held rigid relatively to the spider. The end of the bolt 38 opposite the head 36 is threaded, and engaging it is a sleeve 41 threaded internally for the purpose. ternally and fitted into the spider 28. An'- o\ther sleeve 42 is threaded externally and extends centrally into the spider 28. Fitting into\the sleeve 42 is a bolt 42, the upper cud ot ,which is provided with a'head 42". This head is a contact member and is ot conformity to mate the contact lug 24 carried by the contact spring 22.

Within the cover 8 is a disk 43 of insulating material, an'd engaging the outside of this cover is a sleeve 44jof metal. This sleeve is provided withan annular portion 45 'extending inwardly. A disk 4G of insulatiiig material engages the portion 45 of the sleeve 44. Mounted within-the metallic sleeve 44 and concentric to the same is another sleeve 47 of insulating material. Disposed within this sleeve is another sleeve 48 whicliis of metal and sol formed as to present practically a threaded internal surface. A bol p of the sleeve 48 and also through the disk 4G, the cover 8, the disk 43, and engagesthe r sleeve 4l.l bolt 50 also extends through the disk 46and 43, and engages the sleeve 42. Another bolt til-engagesa portion of the' sleeve'48 and extends through the disks 46 and 43, as well as through the intermediate portion of the cover 8.

The operation of my device is as follows: The parts being assembled and connected as above described, the unit is placed iii position by securing the upper end into a threaded socket, preterabl v ot the kind used in connection with incandescent lamps. -The threaded sleeve 48 is now tree and may be. considered as the so-called lamp socket to which the connections are made in the usual manner. lfiiiorc than one resistance unit is desired` it may be added by simply securing its threaded sleeve l2 into the theaded Sleeve 48 of the unit first placed in position. Any number of units may thus be connected up together in series so that the aggregate resistance may be increased The wires This sleeve is also threaded cX-'.

t 49 extends through portions `and the effective voltage may be coiise- (pieiitly reduced within limitations to be determined by thc operator. Suppose, now, that a person liasalready pJui-clias'eda volt age reducer and has it on hand, but its working capacity is such that it Jtails to afford him ythe desired x reduction in resistance. rlhis may readily happeii-where the potential supplied from mains. is`220 volts and a tungsten lamp biiilt for 110 volts is to be used, and where, consequent-ly, it is desirable to iiilroduce a resistance s'rillicientto degrade thc potential developed to 1l() volts. Again, a person may have a circuit, the resistance of which is already'adjusted 'for a tungsten lamp, and he may/desire to install instead a fan motor requiring 50 volts. In .this

eveiit the person could purchase a resistance unit ot either kind above described, and substitute such unit for the one already comprising part of the circuit. rllie old unit could thus be returned to the? dealery who would doubtless be willing to'allow something forit. f Y

We do not limit ourselves to the.us e of the materials above described, nor to the precise arrangement of the parts, the scope of our invention being commensurate ywith our claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent is v l. A device of the character described, comprising a casing, a spider in said casing having openings extending therethrough,l certaiirof which openings are enlargedht one end to provide bores, internally and externally threaded sleeves extending into said boi-cs, bolts extending through said openings, certain of which bolts are threaded at one end partially into said sleeves, and cer .tain other of which bolts have contact pieces atdheir opposite ends, a winding upon said spider connected with the said contact pieces, spring cont-act members iii engagement ivitlksaid contact ,pieces,.aiid contact bolts extending exteriorlyof the casing and having their inner ends threaded into said sleeves whereby to electrically connect them with said first-namedsleeve engaging bolts and to secure the spider in position within the casing. n

2. A device ot the character described, comprising a casing, a spider therein having a central opening and parallel openings upon opposite sides o't' said central openings, said central opening and one of said side openings having enlarged bores at one end, sleeves secured within said bores and internally threaded. bolts extending through the last-mentioned openings andhaving one llt opfgnings and also having :i contant piece at one end, Spring contact members in engagement with said Contact pieces a wind- 1:15,;i nmnnted upon said spider `und inn/ing its ends connected respectiwiy io sind bolts in the side upenings, and Contact boiis extending exerioliy of the casing und having their inner ends iin-ended into .said sleeves whereby to @lecti'iciiiiy conneffi' 'iwni with 10 the said first-named sleeve engaging bolts i and also in secure the spider within the i casing.

l in testimony whereof we have signed our i naines to this specification in the presence of i two suimcrilnng witneses.

W'ALTER A. I-IESSE.

i JOHN T. SLAVEN.

i "Wi messes:

i FRANK VJELBOAN,

I .EMIL S. NEUSO11\\ANDE1 

